The vampire and the mistress

Chapter 7

At first, the drive in the car had been a little on the quiet side. I wasn't sure if it was because I'd pushed the conversation earlier with Xander and Xander really was just simply tired from the witch hunt, but I knew this wasn't Xander's normal behavior and it had begun to worry me.

"Was everything ok between you and Dorian?" He finally asked. I turned and looked at Xander, wondering how to explain it. In his words, it was complicated, but I knew I couldn't use that against him, as he'd want to know.

"We'll work through it." I decided to go with. I wasn't going to lie to him, but I'd felt the tension between Xander and Dorian, and there had definitely been something going on that they'd seemed to decide to keep me out of the loop on. I didn't like it one bit, but I had to make out I hadn't noticed, for the time being at least.

"As long as you're both ok, that's all that matters." Xander sighed leaning his head back and closing his eyes a little.

"What is this really about Xander?" I asked him. "I mean, why are you looking for Lucian?"

"I want that bastard dead for what he did Rosa. Not only to you but what he tried to do to me." I watched him clench his hand into a tight ball at his words. "I want him dead so you can rest easy and feel safe again and so that you don't have to look over your shoulder. As much as I am doing this for personal reasons, I am doing this for you."

"But you don't have to do this alone, after all, it's me he's after. Why not make him come to us?"

"I'm not having you in the middle of this Rosa. If anything happens to you, I will lose my mind. I nearly lost you six months ago because of my anger..." I moved slightly and reached over to lightly touch Xander's face.

"You can't keep treating me like a fragile flower all the time."

"You are thought compared to us."

"Then turn me..."

"No." Xander snapped quickly making my hand flinch away from his face. "I won't take another human life ever again." His gaze met mine as I saw a flicker of regret.

"Ok." I whispered lightly hoping to calm the situation. "I just thought..."

"You need to live your life first. I need you to enjoy your human life because this life... It's long and never-ending Rosa." I leaned across and put my finger on his lip. I'd heard him say that line before when we'd spoken about him turning me.

"I understand," I told him simply. I noticed something familiar behind Xander out of the window. "Are you taking me to the summer market?" I looked at him with a slight frown which made him laugh as he took my finger and then kissed my hand lightly.

"Yes, I knew you needed to get out and I thought I'd surprise you to a visit to the summer market. Your not mad are you?"

I couldn't help but laugh a little at what he'd done. "No, I'm far from mad with you Xander." I lowered my head and looked down at my hand in my lap as Xander had taken my other in his hand. "I'm not been here in a very long time." I couldn't help but laugh. "The last time I was here I was with my Dad." I looked up to see Xander smiling lightly at me as the car slowed.

"Tell me about it in a moment," Xander whispered softly to me as he got out and the driver came around to my door and helped me out. Xander came around and offered me his arm. "This way." The driver had parked down a street away from the main market, but the sound of people laughing and talking seemed to fill all the streets around where the markets was.

"So the last time you came was with your Dad?" Xander told me softly as he pulled me from my thoughts.

"Mmhmm, my mum and sister refused to come because I was coming." I looked up at Xander. "It was the last nice memory I have with him before my life seemed to go down the toilet."

"It's not going to upset you being here will it?" I could see the worry in his face as his guard seemed to drop a little. It was nice to see him relax a little, I assumed it had been because most of the people who came to the market were humans, but that idea scared me, but I wasn't going to tell him that as I didn't want to ruin his surprise he'd decided on.

"No, it just means that I have a nice memory to look back on with you." I moved to the side as we joined the sea of bodies that crowded the streets with market stalls lining each side of the street. "Thank you." I went and tiptoed and kissed him softly which made him grin.

"So tell me about your Dad." Xander took my hand this time as he began to lead me into the sea of people.

"What is there to say? He's my Dad and about the only person in my family who tried to help me when I needed him the most." I glanced up at Xander to see what his expression was to gauge where this conversation was going. The problem I had was when Xander and I spoke about things like this I could never predict where the conversation would end up.

Xander led me to a table that was outside of a cafe in an area that was roped off. "Coffee?"

"Sounds good to me," I muttered. Even though it was hot, I wouldn't turn down a coffee. Xander kissed the top of my head and then went inside the shop. I couldn't help but chuckle at myself as once upon a time I'd have never believed that vampires would just walk into a cafe and order a coffee, yet here was Xander doing exactly that. Just one of his charms.

I sat people watching people in the chaos as I remembered coming with my family. Fi keep hold of your mother's hand, I have Rosa and remember don't touch anything and don't talk to anyone you don't know. I looked up at the dark sky and let out a sigh. I missed my Dad so much, I couldn't help but wonder just how he was and if he was still with my mother. I really you aren't as you don't deserve the crap she gives you. I let out another sigh and turned my head away, I couldn't think about any of that, that was the past and like Xander had told me, I'd made my choices and I had to live with them and at the moment it was better that my Dad wasn't involved in my life with the chaos and danger that was surrounding me.

"Coffee, just how you like it." Xander put the coffee in front of me and then sat down. "I don't understand why you like it, it smells foul."

"I would offer you a bit to say you'll understand, but..." I laughed quietly and lent across and kissed him. "Thank you and I like it because it gets me through the day." I shrugged which made Xander laugh.

"So when was the last time you were here?" Xander asked.

"Before I left my parents house for good." I told Xander. "It was just my Dad and I as my Mother and sister had better things to do than keep a family tradition, not only that the truth was they wouldn't have come because they hated me."

"That's a bit harsh on yourself. A mother will always love her child." I couldn't help but look over at Xander and gave him a look that said I'd fight him on this.

"My mother could have fooled me." I told him quietly as I wrapped my hands around the cup. "The last time we came it was when we lived in the city. It had been a long drive, but Dad and I hadn't minded in the slightest, it had given us chance to talk about things. We lived in the city, but it was more the out skirts than the inner city, that was where my Dad worked." I looked at Xander who was watching me intently. "We only came for a few hours, but it was the best few hours of my life as I'd felt loved and wanted." I lowered my eyes and looked down at the coffee cup and lifted it to my lips and took a small sip.

"What did you two do?" I looked up at Xander a little suspicious of what he was up to. I knew Xander never asked questions like that without some other reason.

"Browsed and looked around and laughed and talked about things. Had food together at a pizza place. Sounds stupid that all of that is is one of my better memories." I blushed a little as Xander touched my cheek.

"Not really Rosa, don't feel stupid over something that made you feel happy." He leaned across and kissed me lightly and then licked his lips. "Urgh, coffee tastes foul." He laughed and took one of my hands from around the coffee cup. "Do you miss them?"

Get out of this house! Don't you dare every come back again! Don't ever step foot inside this house ever again, your nothing but a waste of space. I wish you'd never been born.

I went to pull my hand away from Xander and to get up but he kept hold of my hand.

"Rosa, come here." I stayed put for a moment but he lightly pulled me so I let go of my coffee and got up and sat in his lap as I cuddled into him as he wrapped his arms around me. "Talk to me sweetie." He whispered to me softly.

"I'd love to see my Dad again, to apologise."

"What do you need to apologise for?" He kissed the top of my head as I closed my eyes as I felt his lace his fingers through mine.

"For being a waste of space and a let down." I finally whispered to him as I held on to his hand tighter.

"You have nothing to apoligse for. I know I am proud of you in the time I've known you. I'm pretty sure your Dad would be proud of who you are now too." Xander lifted my face with his free hand and I opened my eyes. He kissed me softly. "I'm sure he won't want an apology, just to see you happy. I know if I was a parent, that's what I'd want."

"I was an arse though Xander. I wasn't nice." He stroked my cheek lightly.

"Dare I ask if you feel the same way about wanting to apologise to your mother and sister?"

This is all your fault that they are arguing all the time and I can't so what I want to do because of you. You've ruined my life. I hate you! Don't ever speak to me again!

I turned my head away but Xander turned it back to me. "They wouldn't want to see me or even speak to me." I told him simply as I didn't want to get into it with him.

"You never know." Xander freed up one of his hands and reached for my coffee and took a small sip and pulled a face which made me laugh. "That is really horrible. I think the only crime your guilty of is drinking that foul stuff." I laughed again and took the coffee from him as I got up from his lap.

"That's better, you should be smiling not looking miserable." Xander got up and kept hold of my hand. "Would you like to get food or go and look around first?"

"I don't mind." I told him quietly.

"We'll look around and work our way to food." He shrugged. "Come on."

Xander led me back into the crowd as he kept hold of me tightly so I didn't get lost. I really was lucky to have Xander in my life to wash away all the hurt. I knew it couldn't be completely washed away, but he made it just that little bit more bearable and I was thankful every day for that.